25 per cent of town shops now empty

Up to a quarter of shops are standing empty in town centres in the Midlands, a report reveals today.

Wolverhampton has been hit worst with more than 23 per cent deserted after the departure of such names as Woolworths, Dorothy Perkins and Oasis.

The city has the highest vacancy rate of the country's large retail centres at almost double the national average.

The British Property Federation today said a rise in internet shopping and a lack of investment was to blame.

It is calling on councils to make it easier for entrepreneurs to convert existing shops and increased Government spending to reinvigorate declining retail hubs.

Other areas with high vacancy rates in the region include Stourbridge and Stafford, where around 18 per cent of units are empty; Dudley and Walsall, where around 14 per cent of shops are vacant; Cannock where 12 per cent are unused; and West Bromwich and Kidderminster, where 11 per cent of units are available to let.

The impact of the recession on Britain's high streets has been laid bare by analysts, Local Data Company.

Its report, which examines the latest figures at December 2009, also shows one in 10 shops are vacant in Birmingham city centre, Solihull, Halesowen and Lichfield.

Some 12.4 per cent stand empty across Britain, according to the survey of more than 700 town centres.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, warned today: "The next government will need to balance cuts in spending with ideas for reinvigorating regions that have suffered from years of underinvestment."

But Business Minister Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, rejected the claim that a lack of Government investment was to blame.

He said: "The city has ambitious plans to improve the retail environment and I think they are much-needed if it is going to keep pace with elsewhere."